You have probably heard a story about pharmacy staff taking unauthorized drugs from the shelves. Sometimes these stories involve personal use, and sometimes the staff are selling these drugs for personal gain.
Whatever the cause, these practices are highly illegal—and the Kentucky Board of Pharmacy is cracking down on controlled substance theft.
The Kentucky Board of Pharmacy recently held a special session to address the dispensing of controlled substances (such as narcotics). New regulations were passed to control the unexplained loss of powerful medications—both by internal and external theft.
Here are a few new requirements of all Kentucky pharmacies and pharmacy staff:
- Background checks. Under new law, all new applicants must submit to a criminal background investigation and be added to the National Practitioner Data Bank registry of the US Department of Health and Human Services.
- Theft reporting. Any pharmacist-in-charge is responsible for reporting any loss or theft of controlled substances at the pharmacy location to the Kentucky State Police within three days. The pharmacist must also report the robbery or theft to local law enforcement and the State Board of Pharmacy.
- Mailing regulations. To stop thefts by mail, pharmacies must report all lost packages that contain controlled substances to the Kentucky State Police within three days.
- State registration. All pharmacists who dispense controlled substances must register with Kentucky All Schedule Prescription Electronic Reporting (KASPER). This includes any Kentucky-licensed pharmacists who own, work in, or are employed by a pharmacy that dispenses controlled substances.
How do these regulations affect your Louisville prescription mistake case? If your pharmacist is found liable for an error involving a controlled substance, he may face additional penalties from the Pharmacy Board—including fines, license suspension, or permanent loss of the pharmacist’s license.
The attorneys at Gray and White can tell you what to expect from your case in your FREE, one-on-one consultation. If someone you love has suffered a medication error in Kentucky, call us today at (800) 634-8767 or fill out the contact form on the top of this page.